Chapter 15 - Cornered in the Dark"Quiet," Adrian muttered, grabbing my hand and pulling me behind a heavy velvet room divider as footsteps began to ascend the wooden basement stairs.
The footsteps were slow, heavy, and deliberate. A shadow stretched across the hallway floor as a figure emerged into the dimly lit foyer. Through a narrow gap in the fabric, I caught a glimpse of a tall man in a dark trench coat, holding a small leather briefcase. It wasn't Julian Vance himself, but someone younger—a slick, sharp-faced man wearing an expensive watch that gleamed under the emergency exit lights.
It was Victor Vance, Julian’s nephew and the silent partner behind the offshore shell accounts.
"I know someone's here," Victor called out, his voice echoing coldly through the empty rooms. He pulled a silver cigarette case from his pocket, flicking it open. "You can come out now, Adrian. Running around old properties won't save your family land. The courts are moving fast, but my uncle moves faster."
Adrian’s grip on my hand tightened. He looked at me, a silent question passing between us. We didn't have weapons, but we had the master ledger clutched safely in my grip.
"We need to get to the car," I whispered back.
"Not that way," Adrian murmured, pointing toward the wide glass patio doors at the rear of the study that opened directly onto the cliffside observation deck. "Through the deck, down the cliff trail. I know the old smugglers' path from when we were kids."
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Without waiting another second, Adrian lunged toward the glass doors, smashing the latch open with a heavy brass paperweight from the desk.
"Hey! Stop them!" Victor roared, breaking into a sprint across the hardwood floor as the glass shattered behind us.
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